Autumn Courses (In-Person and Zoom)   

This will be the first of two courses in which we will undertake a reading of the ancient Greek epic of the Trojan War. In addition to appreciating the poem on its artistic merits, we will also consider what it tells us of an ancient culture so deeply influencial on our own, in concepts of heroism, patriarchy, and what may be termed “shame culture.” Our reading text will be the instructor’s own translation, which will be made available to students in pdf format, well in advance. Students are asked to read through Book Four for the first meeting (and those who wish to skip the notorious Catalogue of the Ships, Book 2, lines 494–759, are welcome to do so).

The American Revolution was a most improbable historical event. A new nation with no established army or navy takes on the most powerful nation and army of its day and defeats it to win independence. But it was not just a colonial struggle for independence; it was part of a global war and a civil war. This series will look at all three aspects of the Revolution.  While it will look at important episodes of the war, this will not be the primary focus. The series will explore the important intellectual and political ideas that shaped the Revolution as well as the impact of the war on colonial society and the people who lived through the conflict, including colonial Loyalists, Native Americans and the black population, both slave and free. The series will conclude by looking at the legacy of the war including reshaping ideas about social classes and hierarchy, social and economic mobility and women’s role in society and government. 

Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees and Rhododendrons?  Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air pollution! Lichens are friendly and interesting organisms that love to grow on trees, shrubs, picnic tables, benches, and rocks.  

Lichens are major components of most terrestrial ecosystems, and a few can be found in aquatic environments.  They are symbiotic organisms made up of a fungus and a photobiont (green algae and/or blue green bacteria). They indicate levels of air quality and forest health, contributing to nitrogen and carbon fixation. 

This course will provide an opportunity to learn the most frequently found
lichens in our urban Puget Sound area and major taxonomic groups.  In addition, an overview of how they have been used by people, both economically and for monitoring pollution, will be offered. You will learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

One of the leading artists of late 20th and early 21st C. Broadway musical theater, Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) crafted lyrics and entire scores for over a dozen major works of great innovation and influence on future generations of Broadway creators.  We will sample Sondheim's work as a lyricist for such shows as "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," and as a composer-lyricist for such groundbreaking musicals as "Company" and "Sweeney Todd," and we'll delve into his unique creative process.

In this series we will analyze the phenomenon of Scripture itself, sample selections from the Scriptures of the major world religions, and compare those selections with each other and with the Bible. Scriptures may include the Jewish Mishnah, the Islamic Qur’an, the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, the Buddhist Dhammapada, and the LDS Doctrine and Covenants. Passages will be projected on the screen for all to read.

This 8-hour course will explore social and environmental histories of Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Of course, eight hours is not enough time to create a comprehensive look at the region, but instead the class presents selected histories that highlight the peoples and places of the region. The broad themes that the course touches on are: Native People, Physical Environment, Settler Colonialism, Industrial Labor, and post-WWII social changes.

2020 marked the 100th Anniversary of passage of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote in the United States. It was the culmination of 70 years of effort and persistence by women to achieve their goal. This lecture based course will look at the suffrage movement from its beginnings in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention to ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The course will look at the key leaders of the movement including Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Carrie Chapman Catt and Alice Paul.  It will explore the split over tactics and membership of the major women’s associations in 1869 as well as the evolution of arguments both for and against women’s right to vote from 1848 to 1920.

What’s the BIG idea? A series devoted to maximalist films noir! Join us as we explore the big: heat, clock, combo, and nights. Join us on these winter evenings as we listen to a short lecture, watch the film together in class and engage in a discussion.

Films include:
The Big Clock (John Farrow, 1948)
The Big Heat (Fritz Lang, 1953)
The Big Combo (Joseph H Lewis, 1955)
Murder by Contract (Irving Lerner, 1958)

The 1960s allowed the emergence of some of the greatest rock artists in history as they created some of the most original and emblematic sounds of that era. You’ll hear some of the legends who introduced new sounds, new instrumentation and new technologies to an ever changing landscape of freshness and inspiration. You’ll witness session tracks, alternate takes and backstories about the many people who contributed greatly to these refreshing and innovative sounds.

The intention of this course is to help step back from representational expression in painting, and reduce visual communication to abstraction. This journey can be challenging for us all, because it requires reimagining, as well as trusting the process. Unlike representational painting, where the artist can generally tell when a work is completed, abstraction can continue ad infinitum. Together we will embark on this personal quest to find a new aesthetic language within each of us. This course is a mix of lecture and hands on art making. There are no prerequisites, other than a desire to experiment - any level welcomed.

This class does not have a set supply list. Items below are basic suggestions, and you can use/bring whatever appeals to you most:
a. drawing surface - newsprint paper or drawing paper work - Bristol, watercolor paper, mixed media will all work (if getting mixed media paper I might suggest Canson Mixed Media type)
b. drawing supplies - pencil or graphite, charcoal, marker or ink pen - all can come handy and useful
c. watercolors or color markers, color pencils will also work fine in helping flush out color scheme ideas
d. ink can be a great tool to get started - India, Sumi or simply ink pen
e. if you prefer painting, think of using Canvas Paper pads (any size or brand will work)
f.  acrylic paints - hold off on buying these until we talk about it in class

This four-week lecture series will review the fields of early modern architecture, planning, landscape, industrial, and interior design.  We will discuss the history of design movements, styles, and noted designers from the Art Nouveau to the Bauhaus.

Styles to be covered:
•    Lecture 1: Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession 
•    Lecture 2: Modern Forerunners and Chicago School                                                        
•    Lecture 3: DeStijl and the Bauhaus 
•    Lecture 4: International Style

 Topics to explore within each lecture:
•    Identify technological innovations and describe their impact.
•    Discuss works and characteristics of style as well as select iconic designers.
•    Define and explain design and architectural terms as utilized in lecture.

This introductory art history course examines some of the most notable artists, movements, and themes in “postmodern” arts, from around 1960 to the present. Emphasis will be placed on how these artists responded to their cultural and social contexts, and how many artists sought to expand what we think of as art. Illustrated lectures anchor the course, but discussion is always encouraged..  

Session One and Two:  Collapsing the Boundaries between Art and Life: This session will explore the shift that occurred after Modernism toward art that embraced the quotidian world of the everyday. Movements include, Pop Art, Fluxus, Happenings, Body Art and more. 

Sessions Two and Three: Sculpture in an Expanded Field. Continuing to explore the shift of art to sites and issues outside of the convention realm of high culture,” this session will explore movements such as Minimalism, Earth/Land Art, Social Sculpture, Installation Art, Light Art and more.

Session Four: Contemporary Art in the Pacific Northwest. This session will examine some of the most interesting and impactful contemporary artists in our own backyard, including Helen O’Toole, Mary Ann Peters, Isaac Layman, Wynne Greenwood, Susan Robb, Susie Lee and more. 

Feathers are more than just fluff. Anyone who has watched a duck preen its feathers for hours at a time knows that birds take their feathers very seriously. They should: feathers keep them warm (or cool!), enable them to fly, hide them from predators, and all the while, light up our lives with their beauty. If you've ever wondered about how birds' feathers work, then this class is for you. Master birder Connie Sidles will share with you all the recent information about how feathers evolved, how they function, why they are colored just so, and who has the most outrageous array. Note: This is a Zoom class in lecture format, but Connie likes to start class informally 15 minutes ahead of time so people can ask questions, share bird sightings, and enjoy discussions.